INTRODUCTION OF BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

The course aims to provide students with knowledge on nutrition from a biochemical point of view, therefore both as a source of macro and micronutrients useful for the structuring of body tissues and energy source for vital processes, and as a source of protective macromolecules and harmful to the body; it also proposes to investigate the metabolic aspects related to the use of nutrients, so that the student achieves the scientific-cultural objectivity necessary to face the problems related to food preparation, nutritional assessment of diets and critical issues in food inspection and distribution.

The course includes 35 hours of frontal (or remote) lessons and 42 hours of tutorials / tutoring. The teaching methods used, in order to acquire basic knowledge of the principles of biology and nutritional biochemical constituents, mainly involve the frontal presentation of the topics in power point format by the teacher. Seminars, reports, papers and individual researches carried out directly by the students will be agreed, with the integration of scientific material which must include updates and useful applications for the continuation of the course of study.

Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

Oral exam on topics developed during the course: the student must demonstrate adequate knowledge and interpretative competence (evaluation criterion: quality of the contents), ability to connect and elaborate contents (evaluation criterion: ability to report examples), as well as expository ability (evaluation criterion: technical language property that must be relevant, clear and correct). For the assessment of learning, the work carried out during the hours of practice / tutoring will also be taken into consideration, i.e. the in-depth seminars, reports, papers and individual research. The evaluation of the test is expressed out of thirty
Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

Elements of biology: eukaryotic cell (animal and plant), prokaryotic, membranes, organelles, bioenergetics and metabolism. Enzymes and enzymatic activities related to the body's demands. Biological macromolecules of food interest: proteins, lipids, sugars and their transformation. Digestion, intake, distribution and processing of nutrients, metabolic specialization of organs and tissues, regulation of metabolism and management of energy reserves in alternating meals-fasting. Free radicals and oxidative stress; foods as antioxidants: enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems by the body, foods as a source of xenobiotics, hints on their biochemical disposal by the body.

1. Biochimica degli alimenti e della nutrizione, Ivo Cozzani,Enrico Dainese ,PICCIN

2. Basi molecolari della nutrizione-Giuseppe Arienti, PICCIN

3. Biochimica della nutrizione- Ugo Leuzzi,Ersilia Bellocco,Davide Barreca -Zanichelli

4. Fondamenti di Biochimica, D. Voet, J.G. Voet, Zanichelli

5. Biologia, David Sadava et al, Zanichelli